AuthorTopic: Rotogravure, Ringo The 4th & Bad Boy (Read 6632 times)

Wayne L.

It's true that Ringo has improved as a solo artist since returning to live shows with his All Starr Band with albums like Time Takes Time, Vertical Man & Ringorama. There's no way you can denign that Rotogravure, Ringo The 4th & & Bad Boy are three of the worst albums by a former Beatle when he was kind of lost in his legend.

[quote by=Wayne_L. link=Blah.pl?b=starr,m=1078604541,s=17 date=1083580614]How did you come to the conclusion that Double Fantasy & Milk & Honey by John are two of the worst albums by a former Beatle & in the history of rock & roll compared to Rotogravure, Ringo The 4th & Bad Boy by Ringo Maria?

[quote by=Bruno link=Blah.pl?b=starr,m=1078604541,s=22 date=1083616433]but that was your opinion. You just can't call somebody a musical retard because it doesn't share or like the same kind of musics or songs that you do[/quote]

Who are you talking to? If me, then wake up - I COPIED Wayne's post, substituting the DF stuff, to TAKE THE MICKEY OUT OF WAYNE!!!!!!!!!! I didn't like the retard remark he initally made, so I took the p*ss - OUT OF WAYNE.

Wayne L.

I know what I said the in my first post about this subject which is why there's nothing else left to say because Rotogravure, Ringo The 4th & Bad Boy are three of the worst albums by a former Beatle & in the history of rock & roll even though A Dose Of Rock & Roll is a great song despite Ringo being lost as an artist & in his legend at the time while he has improved since then with his All Starr Band & albums like Time Takes Time, Vertical Man & Ringorama!!!

Wayne, can you tell me why you repeat the same stuff over and over again like a retard? We already know what you are trying to say and where you stand , you don't need to repeat the same shit over and over.

Wayne L.

I think Ringo has" improved " as a solo artist with albums like Time Takes Time, Vertical Man & Ringorama even though generations of fans hardly know they exist despite the publicity. Rotogravure, Ringo The 4th & Bad Boy are three of the worst albums of all time & by any former Beatle without question even though A Dose Of Rock & Roll is the only great song by Ringo from that period. I also think that Two Virgins, Life With The Lions & the Wedding Album are avant garde crap which make no sense by John but Ringo's three solo albums from the mid/late 70's are still the worst.

NGM

LarryG

Well a good deal of debate on the solo works of former Beatles, so I had to weigh in.

I noticed someone earlier had posted that Two Virgins, The Wedding Album and Life with the Lions were avante garde crap. Indeed they were.....as were EVERY solo effort by a Beatle prior to the break-up....With one exception: Lennon's Live album in Toronto. Even George's Wonderwall Music was curious. But he more than made amends with All Things Must Pass.

As for Ringo, Rotogravure is passable if for a Dose of Rock & Roll, Hey Baby and Lennon's Cookin. Clapton contributes a song (This be Called a Song), which is okay, but somewhat pedestrian for him. Where Ringo's work turns to crap is with Ringo the 4th, Bad Boy and yes, Stop and Smell the Roses. With the latter, he made a valiant attempt with Paul McCartney's help to rejuvenate the Ringo success, but the album crokes with a couple of notable exceptions (Wrack My Brain, Back off the Boogaloo reissued, and Private Property to a certain extent). The Wrack My Brain video was much heralded on MTV at the time.

Ringo then put out a decent album with Joe Walsh's help, titled, Old Wave. But regrettably, it was only issued in Canada. Arguably, the music there was Beatlesque to certain degree -- and just good old rock and roll by two solid veterans. Yet, it went unnoticed. Which left Ringo with the Ringo Album as his solid post-Beatles claim to fame until Time Takes Time would emerge in the early 90s. That said, most critics and fans enjoyed Goodnight Vienna (despite Call Me and Husbands & Wives) as more than passable even if it couldn't match the magical prowess Ringo Album. (Remember, Vienna yielded two hits singles -- Only You and the No No Song --, plus called on Elton John's services.) As for Rotogravure, it received good airplay on NYC and LA rock stations upon its release, before ultimately fading to obscurity along with Ringo's creative brilliance for the next 15 years.

As for John's solo work at the time of his death, Double Fantasy was not panned by the critics, as someone here suggested. You can look that up on the web. In fact, just before he died, the album had almost snuck into Billboards To 10. Of course, his assassination propelled it to #1 for a good deal of time. Though the album couldn't match Imagine or the Plastic Ono Band album, its quality was just as good as Mind Games and Walls and Bridges (the latter generating John's only #1 single -- Whatever Gets You Through the Night, that is until Starting Over).

As for Milk and Honey, it was released posthusmously after John's death. In fact, John was still engineering and recording it the night he died. Some critics enjoyed it immensely, largely because of the Imaginesque sound (ala Crippled Inside) of I'm Stepping Out and Borrowed Time, and the Walls and Bridge tones of Nobody Told Me. Other critics dismissed it as being another throwaway along the lines of Some Time in NYC. I'm torn in the middle. To this day, I still cannot listen to the Yoko music on either Milk and Honey or Double Fantasy. But all the John tracks from Fantasy, and at least half of those from Honey are exceptional, even if the latter album was never really completed.

Now Paul has put out a bunch of clunkers -- in fact, the entire decade of the 80s and most of the 90s will not make McCartney's musical memoirs. (Although I do like Flaming Pie for a few reasons -- notably the Lennon and Maureen references, and of course the inclusion of Ringo and Steve Miller on two tracks apiece.) But Paul's work in the 70s stands tall as among rock history's best. Same analysis holds somewhat true for George, for his chart success went up and down after All Things Must Pass. Some of his best work were with his Wilbury friends, but little can match the intellectual genius of All Things Must Pass and of course Brainwashed.

Clunkers and retard music are in the ears of the beholder, as is warmth and receptivity. Taste is taste, and these are just albums.....to paraphrase a famous Ringo quote. As a lifelong Beatle fan, I realize that their body of work has some pratfalls, but taken collectively -- as a band and as four soloists -- few of today's rockers and singers can achieve that kind of depth, chemistry and artistry.

Wayne L.

I don't remember Double Fantasy being panned by the critics at the time, but I do remember it wasn't that popular until John's tragic death. John Lennon Plastic Ono Band & Imagine are the greatest solo albums by any former Beatle showcasing John at his finest with few equals with Sometime In NYC being highly underrated because of radical left lyrics despite great tracks. Live Peace In Toronto is just a solid rock & roll live album despite being underrated with John as a rocker without any apologies kicking ass with the first incarnation of the Plastic Ono Band. Paul has had some enormous clunkers as an artist since the 80's & 90's with Tug Of War being his only great album since which is why he's worried about his legacy. George didn't make that many great solo albums but All Things Must Pass is his only masterpiece as a solo artist while 33/1/3 & George Harrison are much better despite being mediocre than Somewhee In England & Gone Troppo. I think Ringo has had more ups & downs as a solo artist than any of his former bandmates despite great hit singles during the early 70's & mostly crappy albums of the lowest denominator with few highlights excluding a few.

I'm not sure which I prefer......the above mentioned Ringo albums or his latest releases.....his latest stuff is dull and nonthreatening, while the above releases were rather difficult listens, but had a few really good tracks, which is more than I can say for Time Takes Time and Vertical Man. Ringorama has a lot of very good tunes though, which is why I would have to say it's his best since Goodnight Vienna. But outside of Rama, Vienna and Ringo, I really don't think the rest of his albums are worth much of a listen.

Logged

&quot;Only people know just how to talk to people. Only people know just how to change the world.&quot;

Wayne L.

If you bought Rotogravure, Ringo The 4th & Bad Boy which are three of the worst albums by a former Beatle & in the history of rock & roll because you're a Beatles fan(like I did) you did so more than likely because Ringo is a former Beatle & not for the music itself which is trash while A Dose Of Rock & Roll is the only great song from these 3 disastrous solo albums by Ringo!

Over the years I've come to like BAD BOY and STOP AND SMELL THE ROSES a bit. However, I think RINGO THE 4TH is terrible. ROTOGRAVURE has a few decent songs on it.

Regarding DOUBLE FANTASY - I was 18 when it came out and was a huge Lennon fan. I was waiting for the new album for years, and when it arrived I felt a little disappointed. But the incredible thing was (get ready for this) I thought Yoko's songs were an improvement for her and very New-Wave.

MILK AND HONEY can't really be judged fairly, as it's not necessarily the album John would have released in the way he wanted it released, had he lived. It's only so-so, although I love "I Don't Wanna Face It".

McCartney's worst albums to me would be DRIVING RAIN and PRESS TO PLAY. I think BACK TO THE EGG is hugely underrated and a good rocker.